Knitted fabric run stop



Sept. 4, 1962 H. w. HEGGIE 3,052,110

KNITTED FABRIC RUN STOP Filed March 11, 1960 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 NEEDLES COURSES 1 P 2 P P P a P ODD 4 P P NEEDLES 5 P T p T e P P P EVEN Z T P NEEDLES T P P 1 '1 T P P I0 P P P 34 II P l2 P P B P T 22 P P 23 24 25 T 24 P P 27 P P INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,052,110 KNITTED FABRIC RUN STOP Henry W. Heggie, Batesville, Miss., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Jahill Corporation, Indianapolis, Ind., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 11, 1960, Ser. No. 14,224 4 Claims. (Cl. 66172) This invention is for a run stop area of novel construction knitted into a circular knit fabric at any desired point.

One object of this invention is to provide a novel form of run stop area for incorporation into knitted fabrics of all kinds and particularly in circular knit ladies hosiery.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a novel form of knitted run stop in the foot of a circular knit ladies hosiery located so as to provide effective resistance to the passage of runs from the toe area of a stocking to the leg area thereof.

A still more specific object of the invention is to provide such a barrier in sheer circular knit ladies hosiery at a point extending across the upper part of the foot at the beginning of the toe area, and preferably terminating at the ends of the seam.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a knitted barrier for these purposes, comprising a pattern of plain and tuck stitches knit of a single yarn of special characteristics to provide a highly run resistant barrier effective against runs in both directions, and particularly in a direction from the toe area into the leg area.

Other and more detailed objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the embodiment thereof illustrated in the attached drawings.

In the drawings,

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a conventional sheer circular knit ladies hose, illustrating diagrammatically a useful position of the run stop area in such an article;

[FIGURE 2. is an enlarged top plan view of the toe area again diagrammatically illustrating the run stop barrier;

FIGURE 3 diagrammatically illustrates in chart form a plain and tuck stitch pattern having the run stop characteristics of this invention, using preferred forms of yarn; and

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged drawing of the actual stitch pattern of a portion of the run stop barrier illustrated diagrammatically in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 located, for example, within the dotted square 4 of FIG. 2.

As those skilled in the art will understand as this description proceeds, the run stop barrier of this invention can be used at any desired point in a knitted fabric. However, for purposes of disclosure this area will be described as the area generally between the ends of the seam in the toe of a sheer ladies circular knit stocking.

Such stockings as conventionally made are knit of fine nylon yarns normally monofilament yarns of 15 denier or less. Such fabrics are subject to runs due to various types of strains such as snags, cuts and the like, which runs, as is well understood, progress longitudinally of the knitted fabric.

It will be understood, of course, that this invention is applicable to circular knit stockings regardless of the type of yarns or denier used in the stocking proper. They can, of course, be knit of multifilament as well as monofilament yarns and of natural as well as synthetic yarns, all of any type suitable for the purpose.

In accordance with usual practice, a ladies sheer circular knit stocking is knit from the welt end to the toe. Most of the fabric is knit in the usual round and round operation of the machine from the welt end until reaching the heel, whereupon approximately one-half of the needles are taken out of operation and knitting proceeds on the remaining needles with the usual widening and narrowing portion to form the heel pocket. Upon completion of the heel pocket round and round knitting on all of the needles is resumed until the toe is reached. At this time approximately one-half the needles are thrown out of operation and the remainder knitting reciprocally with the usual narrowing and widening to produce the toe pocket. The result is a tubular fabric which is finally closed by looping the free edges of the fabric at the scam in the toe. It is common practice to so knit the fabric that the seam extends across the bottom of the foot. It is well understood that when knitting proceeds in this general manner the wales of the fabric extend uninterruptedly along the front of the stocking through the leg, the upper part of the foot and around the toe to the seam.

In the normal use of such stockings it frequently happens that runs start in the toe area and then rapidly travel up the foot and leg and for this reason an important position for a run stop area is in the toe circumferentially aligned with the seam to block, or at least greatly retard, the tendency of runs starting in the toe area to travel into the foot and leg areas.

As diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 1, the sheer, seamless or circular knit ladies hose 10, comprises a welt 12, afterwelt 14, body or leg 16, heel pocket 20, foot 18 and toe 22. The subject matter of this invention is not limited to any particular construction of these various portions of the stocking either as to the yarn or stitch employed. Likewise, as is well understood different portions of the fabric can be knit of yarns of different characteristics and deniers, and when occasion requires, additional reinforcing yarns at conventional areas may be employed. However, the subject matter of this invention has maximum utility in the sheerer types of fabrics knit of non-run stitches and having a minimum or no reinforcement. The usual method of knitting such hosiery results in terminal edges which are looped at the seam 24 to complete the closure of the tubular fabric. This seam forms an inherent barrier to the transfer of runs from the toe to the foot in the wales included within the seam. It is the area on top of the toe between the ends of the seam which requires run protection, and this is provided by a special knitted structure in the area 26.

At this point it is to be noted that the run stop guard is not necessarily confined to positioning on top of the toe but can, if desired, go completely around the bottom of the toe as Well as the top. This construction has utility because runs which develop at the seam or looping line would be prevented from running into the bottom of the foot and up the back of the leg.

Run resistance in accordance with this invention in the area 26 or any other area where it might be used in a knitted fabric is provided by a special plain and tuck stitch pattern in combination with special yarns. A characteristic of this invention is that the run resistant area is knit of a single such yarn as distinguished from prior use knitting constructions using two or more yarns.

In accordance with this invention the yarn for the run resistant area must generally have a rough, fuzzy or high frictional resistant surface to slippage of the yarn on itself. Suitable yarns of this type are cotton and spun yarns of various descriptions. This spun yarn can of course be either of natural or synthetic fibers. Commercially suitable examples of synthetic yarns are known in the art under the trade names Fluflon, Taslan and Superloft.

In knitting the run stop area 26 when knitting proceeds to that point the yarn being used, which can be called the body yarn, is withdrawn from the action of the needles and. is replaced by any suitable yarn having a high resistance to slippage, and knitting proceeds, for example,

in this area in accordance with the general pattern illustrated in FIG. 3. The special yarn is thrown into action and one or more plain courses are knit followed by a repeating pattern of the following characteristics. Assuming that there are two plain courses, as illustrated'in FIG. 3, the next three courses, 3, 4 and 5 are knit for example on the odd needles with alternate three course tuck stitches shown at T and plain stitches shown at P. On completion of the fifth course a plain course, that is course 6 in the case of the pattern of FIG. 3, is knit of the same yarn, whereupon the tuck pattern is repeated, i.e. is in courses 7, 8 and 9' but in this instance the yarn is tucked on the even needles and alternated with plain stitches.

This tuck pattern is then followed by a course 10 of plain 1 knitting to be followed by three courses 11, 12 and 13 of tuck and plain stitches with the tuck stitches in this case formed on the odd needles and alternating with plain stitches. This tucked pattern area is then followed by a course 14 of plain stitching. The knitting of courses 15 to inclusive continues this pattern of knitting, terminating with courses 26 and 27 of plain stitches, Whereupon the special yarn is thrown out of action and knitting is resumed with the body yarn to complete the toe.-

This combination of tuck and plain stitches formed by a single rough or fuzzy yarn, produces a highly run resistant barrier against the transfer of runs from one side thereof to the other. Thus, in the case illustrated in FIG. 1, runs starting on either side of the barrier 26 are 'efifectively stopped or at the very least, retarded against travel to the other side.

It .will, of course, be apparent that the length of the tuck stitches need not necessarily be equivalent to three courses, but their runresistance is greater-than in the case of two course tuck. Likewise, longer. tucks may be found suitable for some application of this invention. Likewise, the number of repeats of the tuck' patterns can be increasedor' decreased in some circumstances while attaining the advantages of this invention.

In accordance with these Views reference will, be made to FIG. 4, wherein actual stitch formation is illustrated in a run barrier suchas 26 of FIG. 2. FIGI4 is a typical illustration of a section such as thatWithin the dotted square of FIG. 2. In this stitch pattern it willbe noted that the tuck pattern areas are started by a'single course of plain stitches as distinguished from two plain courses as shown in the patternofi FIG. 3. Assuming that the bights 18 are part of the terminal course'of the regular fabric the construction of FIG. 4 will becomeclear. The yarn which formed the stitches 18 is thrown out of action and the special rough, fuzzy or highly frictional yarn is thrown into action to knit the first course 1 of the run resistant area 26. It will be seen that this course 1 is formed by plain knitting. However, in course Z/the yarn is formed in alternate Wa1es into J three course tuck stitches .TS. interspersed alternately with. plain stitches. In course 5 the yarn in again knit of plain stitches and in courses 6, 7, and 8 the yarn is again knit in three course tuck stitches, which in this case occur in the alternate wales with respect to the first set of tuck stitches and alternate with plain stitches. The yarn is then knit in course 9 in plain stitches and again followed by three course tuck stitches in the courses 10, 11 and 12, but again the tuck stitches TS are shifted walewise with respect to the previous set so as to be staggered with respect thereto. but aligned with the first set of tuck stitches. This pattern of knitting is repeated twice more as shown in FIG. 3, and of course may be, where conditions require, repeated several times more or reduced. Ultimately, however, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the special high friction yarn is dropped out and knitting with the regular body yarn begun again to knit the toe 22.

At this point it will be understood that the main fabric knitted of the body yarn may be formed of any desired type of stitches, as is well understood in the art, but in-ordenhowever, to get the full advantage of this invention would naturally form a fabric subject to runs.

As is apparent to those skilled in the art from the above description the subject matter of this invention is capable of some variation without departure from the novelty thereof, and it is desired, therefore, that the scope of this invention be measured by the appended claims rather than by the disclosure which has been supplied solely for illustrative and explanatory purposes.

" What is claimed is:

1. Acircular knit fabric knit at least of a single body yarn in connected courses forming continuous wales subject to runs when the yarn is severed and a run resistant area, dividing at least some of said wales into two longitudinal parts comprising a plurality of courses knit solely of a'rough yarn, each Wale of said area having at least one tuckstitch and one plain stitch, said tuck and plain stitches in some courses being staggered with the tuck and plain stitches of other courses.

- -2. 'In the fabric of claim 1, said tuck stitches being staggered in a repeating pattern.

3. In the fabric of claim 1, said tuck stitches alternating both coursewise and Walewise with plain stitches. U 4. The fabric of claim 1 said tuck stitches occurring in groups staggered with respect to each other and separated both, coursewise and Walewise by one or more courses of plain knitting.

References Cited in the file of this-patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 976,555 Costello Nov. 22, 1910 1,262,668 I Hinchliff Apr. 16, 1918 2,887,860 I Bellman May 26, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 810,199 Great Britain Mar. 11, 1959 

